So what happens to the freshmen? They practice all week and then stand on the sidelines on Saturday mornings getting little or no reps, or worse taking reps away from the sophomore/juniors?

Well not much you can do about it. We are talking very few freshmen and because of lack of numbers they couldn't field a freshmen team. So do the best you can, keep them involved in the sport versus turning them away and tell them they can't play football because of no team.

My thought is it's better than them not playing at all. If they can practice they are at minimum developing, whether they play or not on saturdays. If they play, then they must be good enough to do so. If Sophomores and Juniors are losing time or positions to freshmen, then work harder. Once you hit high school, it's no longer about everyone gets equal time......the best will play irrelevant of grade. I know parents hate hearing that, but it's reality.